Slogan Promises Vacationers They Can Relax Under Different Rules

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) _ Tourists can leave the hidebound rules of chilly climes behind when they come to Florida, a new state slogan promises.

″Florida. The Rules Are Different Here″ is the slogan that will be unofficially unveiled Sept. 16 as the replacement for ″Florida. We Got It.″

The new promotional phrase aims to lure travelers seeking a place to relax, tourism director C. Dean Gaiser said.

″The ads are going to show that comparison of what’s enjoyable to do,″ he said. ″In Florida, you can get a suntan whenever you want. You can wear whatever you want and enjoy yourself.″

But he admitted the slogan could be misunderstood.

″I’m sure someone could say that means it’s OK, you can shoot your husband in Florida,″ Gaiser said. ″That’s (not) what we are trying to accomplish. ... We’re addressing leisure concepts with this.″

Joyce Beber, co-owner of the Miami-based Beber Silverstein and Partners, which designed the $4.5 million ad campaign, said it was built around an idea and the slogan came later.

″We wanted to address an attitude,″ Ms. Beber said. ″People feel like they know what Florida is. What we’re trying to do is say those things are here and what those things do for you.

″It’s done with wry humor,″ she said. ″It has a certain degree of sophistication.″

Gaiser told the Fort Lauderdale News and Sun-Sentinel in an article published Tuesday that the new campaign will begin appearing on television and in print in 26 Northeastern and Midwestern cities later this month and will run through the winter.

Harold Berns, president of the southeast chapter of the American Society of Travel Agents, said he liked the new slogan.

″It’s a very clever idea,″ Berns said. ″The most you can do with an ad is to draw attention. The state is just a catalyst to create the attention.″